Stephen Amell surprises fans at SDCC 'Arrow' Panel

In the big Warner Bros. DC TV panel on Saturday night of San Diego Comic-Con, the cast of the hit CW show Arrow was the first to head up on stage in front of the 7,000 or so fans that came out to support them in Hall H.
Before the cast came out on stage however a great special effect in the hall took place when the curtains that usually surround the perimeter of the hall opened up to reveal a 360 degree screen around the whole audience. This was not only never before seen in Hall H, but fans were blown away with the special effects and images that were being projected onto the screen. This made the evening that much more epic.

After the reveal of the screen, Stephen Amell (Oliver Queen) walked out onto the stage in full on Arrow clothing and character. He addressed the audience like we were at a rally in Starling City and said his famous catchphrase from the show “You have failed this city!” When Amell said that, the whole crowd cheered with delight. The purpose of this stunt was to reveal to the audience that the Arrow was no longer and that he is now going to be transformed into the comic book legend that he was to become, The Green Arrow.

Here is the clip of the speech below:

The panel brought all of the favorites from the cast of Arrowincluding, Geoff Johns (Chief Creative Officer at DC Entertainment), Paul Blackthorne (Detective Lance), David Ramsey (Diggle), Emily Bett Rickards (Felicity), Stephen Amell (Oliver Queen), Katie Cassidy (Laurel Lance), Willa Holland (Thea Queen) and John Barrowman (Malcom Merlyn).

One of the main topics amongst this panel for was about next season and the huge changes that will be happening. One of these changes being that the Arrow is no longer just the Arrow, but now the Green Arrow from the comic books. In a way, viewers of the show have seen his progression and his backstory of how he became the Green Arrow but they have really yet to see him as the actual comic book hero. Many people including a fan question, wanted to know whether or not Arrow as a TV show will have more comedy in it now, since the Green Arrow in the comics is a lot more witty and comedic than the Arrow in the show.
Both Amell and the executive producers assured the fans that the show is definitely going to be including more of the Green Arrow’s personality from the comics into the show, but at the same time the show will still have that gritty edge to it that a lot of viewers have liked over the seasons.
Both Cassidy and Holland were able to talk about what it was like becoming such strong female characters within the past season alone. Cassidy just became the new Black Canary and Willah’s character went from being Oliver Queen’s little sister, to now her own hero going by the name of, Speedy. Holland was also entranced by the giant screens on the walls in Hall H where a photo of her in her new costume was and said that it was the first time she had seen herself in full costume and that she couldn’t stop staring at it. Overall, both women are excited to be more action heros in the seasons to come rather than just side characters who stand aside while the heros fight.
Another hero, Diggle, played by Ramsey was also talked about and it was revealed that he would be getting a new outfit of his own as well (finally!). Hs outfit show was a pretty cool looking get-up that involved a lot of black and leather and a cool visor type mask. Fans of Diggle will be excited to see this costume next season.
As for Malcom Merlyn it wasn’t too revealed about where his character was heading for next season. If fans remember at the end of last season, Merlyn just became the new Ra's al Ghul. What this means for the Green Arrow and his team is uncertain as of right now.
Click play on the video below to see the full panel and fan questions.